LM extractor
Desmet LM extractor is based on the original patented design of the De Smet continuous belt extractor. It was designed and invented by Mr. Ir. De Smet, the founder of our company. It was first time built in 1946. The design has since then been continuously improved based on industrial experience and feedback of the many clients.
Desmet LM extractor is a horizontal deep bed percolation extractor where the material is transported through the extractor by a moving belt and is extracted by counter current spraying of hexane on the material bed.
Desmet has almost 750 references for the LM extractor, running all over the world on a large range of feedstock materials in small to medium-large capacities.
The extractor has a modular design that allows later capacity upgrades and also can be fully assembled in the workshop and transported as one piece to the construction site of the plant.
How does it work
The feedstock coming from the preparation plant (flakes, expandates or press cakes) enters the extractor through the large inlet feeding hopper. The feeding rate is controlled by level control in the hopper.
The height of the extraction (deep) bed can be adjusted by a register plate. The material is then transported through the extractor by the moving belt to the other side of the extractor. During the transport, hexane is sprayed in counter current over the bed. The miscella is collected in several hoppers under the moving belt and from there pumped to the hexane sprayers of the next extraction section.
The belt is composed of multiple segments with a rigid frame and covered by wedge bar screens with high open area. This allows optimal percolation and extraction, but also easy cleaning of the belt by a high pressure spraying system.
The extracted material is finally falling in the outlet hopper, and from there transported to the desolventiser toaster. The extracted miscella (oil-hexane mixture) is pumped through hydrocyclones for cleaning and from there goes to the distillation section.
The LM extractor exists in a large capacity range and can be used for a large variety of raw materials. The design can easily be adapted for your specific application. The casing of the extractor is built in stainless steel to avoid corrosion problems that can occur with some feedstocks.
